tnt2671

i've noticed absolutely no flex, have had several pike that were in the 13 to 15lb range and numerous bass both large and smallies of decent size many in cover. i would bass fish this reel anywhere with out a worry. the only thing i am not a fan of is the newer shimano handles so all my reels get hawgtechs with septons and a good degreasing and proper tune right out of the box. besides that these casitas's have shelved a lot of my higher end reels. what i find is kind of funny is that when the new aldebaran came out last year i bought 2 at $350.00 plus dollars and absolutely hated them , although there were smooth they just felt cheap and plasticy ( i know this prob isn't even a word) but nobody was worried about them and i believe the reason is the marketing and price!! if shimano called the casitas something other than composite like molecular ci7+ or whatever and charged $349.00 for it people wouldn't be worried because it would be "high end". yes there are guys that won't even look at a reel that is not alum or mag framed as they are proven workhorses but coming from a background in the cycling industry ,composites / carbons etc are definitely here to stay and from companies like shimano with extensive engineering knowledge of these materials i think your going to see more and more out there

for $50.00 you will not find a better reel , have owned 1/2 a dozen of them over the last couple years , great performing reel , very user friendly to setup if you are newer to bait casters. i will say the only thing i feel is a absolute must have upgrade is a set of carbontex drag washers as the stock drag is not the greatest but spend the $8-10 on that and you have a reel that is as good as reels costing easily double the money.

the shimano casitas , i bought a few for workhorses and for times i don't want to take out my higher end stuff and man , i'm loving them. don't buy into the hype from the composite frame haters , the reel is rock solid and for the money it's awesome.

i use improved clinch on all line , if tied right you should never have issues its easy to tie, for leaders or spool backing it's an alberto.

alberto everytime!!

well we've been lucky up here in ma. this winter but it's finally hitting us! lakes and ponds are icing over. i have family in the lake mary / sanford area and am looking at getting down for a few weekends to get my fix in , anybody from around the area that would have any tips on were to go , i don't have access to a boat so i'll be bank bound any help would be great, thanks todd

Hawgtech for sure!! awesome guys to deal with

jls is awesome , usually you'll have your stuff faster from them than if you were to order it from usa

the new casitas from shimano looks promising , proven braking and spool , ergos will be hard to beat , i have 2 hg lefty's on order will report back once recieved.

lol good one!

X2 booyahs are the best out there there inexpensive , hookup great and don't fill , the only hollow body frogs i will purchase at this time. i tried live target and they were sinkers i actually returned them to dicks next day they were so bad spros it's hit or miss, they don't compress as well as the booyah and usually like to take on water imho not worth the money and believe me i've given them some money!

hawgtech cannot be beat for the money, they make 90 , 94 and 102 awesome handles great customer service.

if i was stuck with only one reel my choice would be braid preferably sunline fx2 , if the brad becomes bothersome throwing treble baits then you could always add leader of you choice that would be the most versatile setup for only one outfit.

i have one being built as we speak with full cork , hopefully have it for the weekend!!

i had a freak issue with a klx ( which by the way is the only issue i have ever had with any of their rods) i called in and trey personally addressed the issue ( he is very hands on with his customers) , long story short new rod in my hands in less than a week! dave was 100% right in the perception of a warranty vs an insurance policy throughout the last year i had migrated to buying almost a dozen other rods from various companies to satisfy my curiosity on trying other manufacturers besides my faithful kistlers( everything from megabass , st. croix thru duckett, abu and omens) and guess what they have all come and gone and the kistlers are still here with another on the way as we speak! buy one you'll love it!!

what he said!

my thoughts exactly!! only jigs ill buy and rage craw trailer are by far the most productive trailers i've ever used

x2 i always make copies

again you have to like the look and design of the rod especially when your spending good amount of money but looks alone to me would not dictate my rod purchases although I guess it does factor in but weight , blank quality, sensitivity , guides and feel should really be what comes first when make the choice if it has the looks to match then you found a winner! Shimano vs h3 or z bone kistler wins every time in my book although some of the shimanos are really nice rods in both form and function so if you really like the looks and they offer length and action you want then by all means go for it and if it turns out not to be the one you can always sell it

the klx butt is a little more flared but the h3 actually has a nice thin profile and you can also get then in full cork , I actually just ordered a 7'4 mh xf fast full handle today to add to the collection but I hear ya to each there own and if it doesn't appeal to you let the search go on

Kistler helium 3 would get my vote ,in the past 2 years I have have bought and sold more than a dozen high end rods everything from super expensive megabass through at croix, duckett, shimano and the list goes on. I can say with out doubt imho the best rod for the money available anywhere is the h3's. They are that good!!

I would say in my area freshwater fishing has grown quite a bit in the last few years , I see lots more younger kids early teens through 20"s out there and many more of them are into there equipment , great to see !!

I let Mother Nature dictate my breaks from fishing if the weather is bad I'll usually take the day off which usually gets me a couple days off every few weeks during the season. If I go more than that I start getting the itch bad. Winter time well that's a different story and I think I can speak for most of us northeaster anglers it's straight up torture!

My son just bought a 7'1" mhf on clearance nice quality rod and an absolute steal for 89.00!!

For $200 kistler klx or a little more helium 3 I would have to say my my h3 is hands down the most versatile rod I've ever owned